Restoration
by Lunameria
Summary: Makoto Naegi, now a member of the Future Foundation, is tasked with taking down the remnants of despair. What they don't know is what he plans to do with them.
1. Chapter 1

What awaited the six survivors of Hope's Peak Academy may have been a destroyed world, but what Makoto Naegi saw was a world of opportunity. After the door to Hope's Peak opened, freeing him and the other six survivors of the killing game, he was welcomed with a blood red sky and ash-blowing wind that begged to suffocate him with despair just like the people that inhabited this world.

The last time Makoto remembered seeing the outside world was on the day he first arrived at Hope's Peak Academy. Back then, he was so full of life, a sensation that he had long since forgotten. At least, since he discovered Sayaka Maizono's body in his bathroom.

He breathed in the clouded, hateful air and reminisced about how he felt every time he discovered the body of a friend. Like a portion of his heart had sunk in, never to be restored again. His fear of waking up every day to one of Monokuma's body discovery announcements wasn't even fully realized until he stood here, at the front of what remained of Hope's Peak Academy, safe from the game but exposed to a dangerous new world. Makoto snapped out of his trance when he heard someone's voice straining against the heavy wind.

"We...need...get to...safety..." Commanded a voice that sounded like Byakuya's. After all, who else did they expect to take charge in this situation? Following their mutually agreed-upon leader, Makoto, Kyoko, Hiro, Hina, and Toko made attempted to move against the wind current through the front entrance of the academy. It was fairly obvious where Byakuya was heading: there was a neighborhood nearby that was probably full of abandoned houses. It was one of the few things Makoto remembered about this area.

"Are...we going to _those_ houses?" Hiro struggled to ask in the wind. Makoto wasn't sure if he was asking because he simply wasn't catching on, or because he was afraid of police finding him somehow. That was something Hiro had expressed concern about to Makoto before, and Makoto understood why Hiro wouldn't want to be breaking into houses. Either way, he was met with an annoyed response from Byakuya.

"Of course...you idiot," Byakuya hissed. Beside him, Makoto heard Toko mumble something about Byakuya, but dismissed it as more of her usual nonsense.

The first door they reached was the one they were going to enter. The appeared to have been a nice one, with lots of space and a big yard, but all that remained now were shattered windows and the word "Junko" messily spray-painted in red across the garage door. Though it was unlikely, Byakuya knocked on the door just in case someone might still be living there. After listening for a moment with his ear pressed to the door, he deemed it safe and led everyone inside.

Once inside, the group immediately collapsed on the floor, exhausted.

"Oh, wow. That was crazy," Hina awkwardly laughed, trying to catch her breath.

"You don't think they'll be able to find me here, right?" Hiro asked, seemingly on edge. Kyoko, who was silent the entire time, spoke up.

"I doubt that there's any law enforcement left," She said, "that should be the least of our concerns at the moment."

Hiro seemed a little unsure at first but got over it quickly. "Do you think they have any food in this place?" The fortune teller asked nobody in particular as he stood up to go on a search. Toko was sitting on the ground, twirling the end of a braid with her finger nervously, as usual.

"W-what are we going to do now?" She asked. Byakuya grinned, drawing everyone's attention towards him.

"What is it? Why are you smiling?" Makoto asked the smirking prodigy. Byakuya, in response, held up what looked like a phone.

"I managed to find this in the control room before we left. There's a video message on it. Probably from someone who's been trying very hard to reach us." Byakuya explained in a tone that had become very familiar to Makoto. Hina gasped, stood up quickly, and ran behind the chair Byakuya was sitting in so she could see the what was on it.

"Play it! It's probably important!" She encouraged him as Toko, Kyoko, and Makoto joined her. Byakuya tapped on the phone's screen.

At first, the displayed a blue background with a strange symbol displayed in the middle. The five watched as the symbol morphed into the words "Future Foundation". The screen dissolved into the face of an older man sitting at what appeared to be a conference table. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Here at the Future Foundation, we're a dedicated force of surviving ultimate-level talents committed to the cause of eliminating despair. Assuming you've escaped Hope's Peak Academy, your next course of action would be to join us in ridding the world of the Remnants of Despair, the followers of Junko Enoshima. Only talents such as you are capable of completing this task. Future Foundation is headquartered at the former second Hope's Peak Building. It would be wise for you to come soon." The man smiled slightly as he concluded. The video ended and the screen went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Makoto was handed folders containing information of each Remnant in a confidential meeting room, which he was specifically instructed to never, under any circumstances, take the files out of. After the deliverer left the room and Makoto was left alone, a video chat started on the wide screen in front of him. In it was the face of a man Makoto had never seen before.

"As you know, our task is to eliminate each person in these files. We've chosen to start by assigning you to one of these cases to test your capability as a member of the Future Foundation. Please choose one Remnant you'd like to pursue."

Makoto spread out the files neatly are on the long table, as if he were fanning out a deck of cards. He picks up the file directly in front of him, deciding to leave this decision to fate. He was the ultimate lucky student, after all.

He opened the folder to see a page with information and a picture. The picture showed a very stern looking girl with calculating red eyes behind a pair of glasses. She had long gray hair with a small section pulled to the side. "Peko Pekoyama." She was the Ultimate Swordswoman from class 77-B. Height: 5' 6", weight: 112 lb, blood type: O.

While skimming through her information, Makoto flipped to the next page in the file. It was another person's picture, this time a boy. He looked very young- like he shouldn't even be in high school. He had short blonde hair with lines shaved into both sides of his head. He also had rosy cheeks and freckles, though his expression was serious and didn't fit his appearance at all. Makoto read his name. "Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu." Height: 5' 1", weight: 94 lbs, blood type: AB, Ultimate Yakuza. Why did he get the files of two people inside of one?

The video chat started up. The man appeared again. "Which file did you choose?"

Makoto looked down at the files again "Peko Pekoyama and...Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu."

"Ah, yes. I'm sure you're wondering why you have two files. Those two must be pursued together. The swordswoman works for yakuza as a bodyguard and is rarely seen apart from him. Are you alright with this selection?" The man warned, "That duo is considered to be two of the most dangerous Remnants."

Makoto knew he needed to prove himself to the foundation, so there was no way he could turn this one down. "Yes, sir."

"We'll inform your team right away." The man said. Makoto's team consisted of him, Hina and Kyoko. Hiro and Byakuya were given different jobs. Makoto wasn't quite sure what they made Hiro do, but Byakuya was probably given some kind of office job.

Soon, team 14-A were transported out of the safety of the Future Foundation headquarters and into the despair-ridden world where they were to take down two of the most deadly Remnants, who happened to be a yakuza and swordswoman. Easy work for a swimmer, detective, and lucky student...right?


	3. Chapter 3

Underneath Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's eyepatch hid what was perhaps his most prized possession: the eye of the Ultimate Despair, Junko Enoshima. Sure, the other Remnants had grafted her other body parts onto themselves, but he was the only one who got to see through the eyes of despair itself. Though he couldn't actually see through it, the real satisfaction was knowing a part of him was made of pure, raw despair.

What Peko Pekoyama got was Junko's right hand. She had to fight for it but was lucky enough to get one hand while Nagito Komaeda got the other. She wanted so badly to wield her sword with the hand of despair. She was willing to give up the dexterity she trained so hard for. She would make sure Junko's legacy lived on in the form of her, her master, and the rest of her former classmates.

Said master was currently orchestrating an attack on a nearby safehouse. The inhabitants of the safehouse, of course, were unaware that the Remnants knew of their location. Poor fools.

"Peko, you got that?" Fuyuhiko asked the gray-haired girl.

"Of course, master." She confirmed. The days where Fuyuhiko would complain about her calling him "master" were long gone. He now held the title with pride.

This group would be an easy one to take down, so he left the reinforcements behind this time. He had total faith in Peko. He casually leaned up against a giant rock that had somehow ended up here with the rest of the debris. A day like this one was as beautiful to Remnants as a sunny summer day would be to normal people. The menacing red sky created the perfect atmosphere for honing despair.

Understanding her master's subtle nod as an order, Peko took off towards the abandoned store just as the two had planned earlier. Little did she know, three of the Future Foundation's best members were watching her from the rooftop.

It had taken them an entire day to track the two Remnants down, so they couldn't let this opportunity pass. The only athletic one present-Aoi Asahina-had briefly been trained in martial arts. Fortunately, she was able to practice with her friend Sakura when they were still in the killing game, so she was already quite skilled at fighting.

Makoto's job was to guide her with instructions given through his microphone-equipped headset, which was connected to Hina's earpiece. This was to ensure that she knew where the enemy was at all times. Finally, they had decided that Kyoko Kirigiri's role would be "the talker."

The Foundation had ordered Makoto's team to capture their targets or to kill them if necessary. Makoto had come up with a different plan. One that the Foundation couldn't know about yet.

He would claim the target escaped, but in actuality, take them to a secret section of the Foundation's base containing the Neo World Program, a Psychotherapeutic Communication Simulator that he knew was developed partially by his friend, Chihiro Fujisaki, before the tragedy. Forcing the captured despairs into this program would put them into a computer-generated world where their memories of despair would be replaced with those of hope. That was the plan: to erase the effects of despair on the Remnants of Despair themselves. It would be tough to do this behind the Foundation's back, but he had the proper identification to get into the building. Besides, Hina and Kyoko were with him.

Hina was currently awaiting orders in an alleyway behind the abandoned store. Making Fuyuhiko and Peko believe that it was a safe house was their trap. They'd left small pieces of evidence to make it seem like there were people inside. Empty food cans scattered around the lot, the occasional turning on of a light...they were all done on purpose.

They'd waited long enough, and now it was time to capture Peko and Fuyuhiko. Or, at least, attempt to. The three Foundation members had never seen a Remnant in person before. This would either end in success- putting Makoto's plan into motion- or with their defeat.


	4. Chapter 4

Peko approached the safe house with a hand on the handle of her sword, ready whip it out at the first sign of danger. The hand she was using was her left one, of course. Her right hand, which wasn't actually hers, was useless. As useless as her master's right eye.

Scanning the lot, she heard rustling coming from an alley behind the store. Hina wasn't very stealthy. Makoto, from the roof, watched Peko's every move. The swordswoman's attention was now on the swimmer. She'd been spotted.

"Hina, she knows you're there. If you run out now you might catch her by surprise."  
Makoto informed his teammate through their connected headsets. He didn't know if that was the case, but he wanted to encourage Hina as much as possible.

Hina listened to Makoto's voice through her earpiece and took a deep breath. This was it. She might not even come out of this alive. She'd been through so much at Hope's Peak Academy. To die here, at the hands of despair, would make her a disgrace.

She jumped up and ran out of the alley with all of the strength in her well-toned legs. She didn't really go into this with a solid plan, but she figured that if she could throw Peko's sword out of reach and pin her to the ground, there's no way she could fight back. The _real_ problem was that she didn't know where Fuyuhiko was, or what he would do. All she knew was that he was somewhere in the area.

Peko's eyes were trained on Hina from the moment she started moving. As Hina ran straight towards her, Peko slid out of her path, kicking Hina to the ground when the swimmer stopped to turn around. Before she could regain enough strength, Peko unsheathed her sword and stabbed Hina's hand. The latter cried out in pain while Kyoko and Makoto watched, shocked, from the rooftop.

"Hina! Are you oka-" Peko kicked off Hina's earpiece and stomped on it. In an instant, it was reduced to a pile of black pieces. Makoto's end filled up with static.

His first instinct was to climb off the roof and help his friend, but as if she sensed his thoughts, Kyoko held an arm out in front of him to hold him back.

Just before Peko had removed her sword from Hina's hand and was about to plunge it through the girl's torso, Hina flipped onto her back and kicked the arm Peko was holding her sword with, using all of the force she could muster. Instinctively, the gray-haired girl grabbed for it with her right hand, but the fingers didn't move to grasp it. The sword clattered to the ground.

Thinking she could be fast enough to avoid another move from Hina, Peko turned to pick the sword up off the ground. As she turned her back to Hina, the girl lunged forward and tackled Peko, flinging Peko's glasses off.

Fuyuhiko was still leaning against the rock where he had separated from Peko. He was within a close enough range to see some brown haired girl tackle his hitwoman to the ground. This was unusual. Never before had someone dared to make a move against them, much less have enough strength to take one of them down. He knew he had to intervene somehow.

Makoto and Kyoko observed from the roof as Hina grabbed the sword and stabbed it through Peko's shoulder. Her left shoulder, which was the only one she could wield her sword with. Hina noticed earlier how her other hand flopped around as if it had no nerves or muscle connected to it. By doing this, there was no way Peko could fight back.

She slowly stood up but made sure to keep the sword through Peko's shoulder. From out of nowhere, a sharp pain emanated from her thigh. Looking down to see what had hit her, she saw blood start to spread through her pants. A bullet wound. She realized too late that someone was shooting at her. She felt another one go right through the middle of her stomach. Hina collapsed onto Peko, who still had her own sword sticking out of her shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

Confident that he had killed Hina, Fuyuhiko made his way to the two collapsed girls with the pistol he held at his side still emitting smoke through the barrel. He kicked Hina's body off of Peko and yanked the sword out of her shoulder. Blood dripped off of it onto Peko's white shirt, but it didn't faze Fuyuhiko. No amount of blood could affect him after all of the things he had seen and done.

Now hidden in the shadowed alley where Hina had been before, Makoto and Kyoko were trying to plan their next course of action. They were both panicked, but it was more apparent on Makoto than it was on Kyoko.

"Perhaps it wasn't the best plan to sent Hina out there alone," Kyoko contemplated with a hand cupping her chin, "We seen to have underestimated them."

"What do we do now?" Makoto asked, "We have guns, but...he has one too. We can't risk having them see us."

Kyoko looked up at the arsenal of weapons they had set up on the roof. Hina had a knife strapped to her thigh in case she needed it, which she did, but it appeared to have been forgotten in the scuffle. Quietly, the lavender-haired girl grabbed onto the ladder bolted to the side of the building and sighed. "It's the only choice we have."

All of them had received training on how to use a gun by the Foundation, but Makoto hoped he wouldn't have to use it. He always kept to his morals. Makoto followed Kyoko up the ladder, cringing every time the rusty metal creaked.

The two crouched towards the lowest part of the angled roof so that, hopefully, the higher part of the roof would cover them up and Fuyuhiko wouldn't see them. Makoto nervously fiddled with an old shingle from the roof that he had unintentionally broken off as Kyoko reached for a rifle with a scope. It didn't promise a hit, but it at least promised more accuracy.

It was very important that they _didn't_ kill Fuyuhiko or Peko. Without them alive, Makoto couldn't send them into the Neo World Program to restore their memories. Though every part of Makoto wanted to help his Hina, who was still lying unconscious on the asphalt, nothing could be done until the Remnants had been apprehended. The best places to shoot that would incapacitate them but leave them alive would be the arms or legs, so Kyoko planned to target them.

While Kyoko was setting up her shot, Fuyuhiko helped Peko off the ground. She was tough, and a single stab wound to the shoulder wouldn't knock her out. Still, she pressed her hand against it and tested her joint to make sure her arm still worked okay. It did.

Fuyuhiko tossed Peko her sword and gave Hina's unmoving body one more kick for good measure. Even if there were people hiding in the store, he figured, they weren't worth his and Peko's time. Though maybe they were emotionally, ultimate despairs were not invincible. Peko still needed to be fixed up by Mikan at the group's base in a secluded part of town.

While giving her sword a few more swings, a bullet pierced through her upper arm. Then her leg. Other leg. Other arm. The bullets were going around her in a circle. One more went through the base of her neck. From the rooftop, Kyoko gasped. She didn't mean to hit Peko in the neck. That could kill her.

Having heard Kyoko's gasp, Fuyuhiko snapped his head around and began firing at the roof with his pistol. The first one scraped past Makoto's ear. Instinctively, he leaned to the right but lost balance on the roof and slid down, catching Kyoko's skirt and dragging her down with him by accident. They both landed on the lid of a dumpster. Fuyuhiko heard the reverberating sound of metal and left Peko's side on a mission to kill whoever had shot at them.

Before he could reach the source of the sound, Kyoko and Makoto had already slid off the dumpster and were hiding behind it. Kyoko had anticipated that Fuyuhiko would hear them and already had her rifle aimed at the corner. It wasn't a matter of keeping some test subjects alive anymore, it was a matter of life and death for the two Foundation members.

Kyoko pulled the trigger, but not before Fuyuhiko released a bullet of his own. His bullet hit Kyoko's collarbone. She fell back towards the pavement but Makoto caught her before she hit the ground.

Blood was seeping through his fingers. He wanted desperately to help her, but there was only so much he could do in the back alley of an abandoned convenience store. Luckily, Kyoko was still awake.

"It's okay. I'm okay," She assured him, displaying her usual calm demeanor, "We need to deal with them first. Makoto nodded, allowing her to sit up on her own. All that was left was to assess the aftermath of their first confrontation with the Remnants.


	6. Chapter 6

Right in front of the dumpster lay Fuyuhiko. A single bullet wound to the left side of his chest left him unconscious. Kyoko was relieved to discover him still alive after kneeling over his body to check for a pulse.

"I'm going to help Hina," Makoto said before rushing off. His nerves finally took over. Upon reaching her, he flipped Hina onto her back and was about to check her pulse, but she opened her eyes first. Makoto looked at her, shocked. "Hina? Are you okay?!"

Hina's voice sounded strained but was clear enough to understand. "Yeah...I'm okay..." She assured Makoto. She weakly raised her arm to point at Peko, who was lying face down a few feet away from her. The fall she took after being shot had to have at least caused some kind of damage. "She's...awake."

Sure enough, when Makoto peered down to look at Peko's face, her eyes were wide open. Makoto was a little unsure if that meant that she was alive or not. People die with their eyes open all the time, right? He remembered seeing the wide, dead eyes of some of the victims of Hope's Peak. His friends. He stopped thinking about it when he saw Peko blink.

For some reason, she remained unmoving, but it didn't matter. Maybe the shot to the back of her neck paralyzed her, but she was still alive, all that her paralysis meant was that she wouldn't be able to resist him. Makoto grabbed her by the arm and pulled it over his shoulder so he would be able to drag her. He did the same with Hina.

It was hard to walk with the added weight of two people, but Makoto was so full of adrenaline that the task didn't seem so difficult. Not far from the store was a cop car that the Foundation had lent them. It was a big one- of the vans that they were lucky enough to salvage from a ravaged police station. He hauled the two girls into the car, making sure to stick a pair of handcuffs on Peko. Just in case.

Not far behind him was Kyoko. Fuyuhiko was light enough for her to sling him over her undamaged shoulder. When she reached the van, Makoto was waiting with another pair of handcuffs for the yakuza. Though Kyoko never confirmed it, Makoto figured that Fuyuhiko must still be alive. Buckling himself into the passenger seat, the realization finally hit him that he, Kyoko, and Hina had _somehow_ managed to take down the ultimate yakuza and ultimate swordswoman, two people who were responsible for countless deaths. He truly was the ultimate lucky student.

So far, Hina and Kyoko's injuries were the only hitch in his plan. He felt kind of bad about being the only unscathed one, but he supposed he should also be grateful for it. Even with her wounded collar, Kyoko was the only one who knew how to drive, so she took the front seat.

Before they could go back to the Future Foundation's headquarters for treatment, they had to put Peko and Fuyuhiko into the room containing the program, where they would remain until the other Remnants were captured.

Careful not to get caught by security cameras, Kyoko parked behind the experimentation building. Makoto picked up Peko in a bridal style while Kyoko held Fuyuhiko the way she did before, slung over her shoulder. Hina managed to give them a weak smile and a thumbs up before the two entered through the back door using Makoto's ID. Silently, they made towards the room containing the Neo World Program.

Makoto scanned his ID and the door opened. Makoto and Kyoko were welcomed into a dark room with sixteen glowing pods. They wasted no time getting the two Remnants placed in them. All it took was a tap on the glass and the pod slid open. Makoto slipped Peko into a pod, next to the one Kyoko was placing Fuyuhiko into and taped the glass to shut it again. The pods would keep them comatose but provide life support, so neither of them would die from their injuries or need food or water.

Kyoko looked over at her teammate and gave a nod. Makoto interpreted this as "We need to leave."He took one look back at the pods and went to the door.


	7. Chapter 7

He already fabricated a story to tell the Foundation. It was simple: the Remnants got away. They even had injuries to prove how bad the fight was. The problem was that they wouldn't get sent on any more missions, but that wouldn't stop them from hunting down the other Remnants. Chances were Byakuya had access to the files they would need to track them down.

Kyoko drove them back to Headquarters where they stumbled in with Hina held up by her and Makoto. A guard immediately took notice and sent Hina and Kyoko to the clinic. Because he was uninjured, Makoto was sent to the meeting room to give his report. Though he was nervous to not have either of his friends with him, he felt prepared.

He swiped his ID next to the door and it beeped then slowly opened. Waiting for him in the room was the man he remembered seeing on the screen. The man nodded, a silent order for Makoto to sit down. Makoto obliged and quietly took a seat in the seat across from him. He sat up straight and had his hands folded in his lap, a position he often took when he was uncomfortable.

"Report." The man's voice boomed. It was a simple word, yet still so demanding. Makoto cleared his throat, "We weren't able to catch the despairs, sir. Um..." He slapped himself mentally for sounding so unprofessional, "Asahina was injured by the swordsman, and Kirigiri and I were attacked by the yakuza with a gun. Kirigiri was shot and we had to retreat." Makoto finished. The man looked disappointed.

"It seems that this assignment was too difficult for your team. I will discuss this with my superiors to decide on how severe your demotion will be," The man said, "For now, you'll be Togmi's assistant. Asahina and Kirigiri will be given temporary positions as well." He concluded and stood up from his chair. He grabbed his files off of the table and walked out of the meeting room.

Makoto remained seated after hearing the door close. It was a short discussion, but he guessed the man had all of the information he needed. About how incapable Makoto was of fulfilling his duties.

Makoto sighed, but so far, the Foundation showed no signs of knowing Makoto's true intentions. Lucky for him, he was assigned Byakuya's assistant. He might be able to get some much-needed information from him.

Another night passed and he didn't see Hina or Kyoko in the dining area the next morning. He figured they must still be in the clinic. At least he had a distraction: his new assignment papers. They told him to be on the twentieth floor at eight o'clock sharp in room 204. So, Makoto did exactly what he was told. When he opened the door to room 204, he saw an office with a large desk at the back that was covered with many neatly arranged stacks of papers. Sitting at the desk was a certain blonde-haired prodigy (who Makoto couldn't exactly call his _friend),_ Byakuya Togami.

"You're here. Finally." Byakuya sighed, "What could you have possibly done to get yourself placed up here?"

Makoto wasn't quite sure how to explain everything, so he thought it would best be done by starting from the beginning. "Listen, Byakuya, you probably won't want to help me, but at least hear me out."

Byakuya was already glaring at Makoto, but he didn't say anything, so Makoto continued talking, "There is a secret Future Foundation building containing the _Neo World Program_ , which is a virtual reality simulator capable of changing and replacing memories. If we can get all of the Remnants hooked up to it, we could revert them back to their original selves." Makoto lowered his voice, "Hina, Kyoko and I already have two in there."

Byakuya's eyes widened. It was rare to see him surprised. "You captured two of the Remnants?" He asked, seemingly not very convinced. Makoto nodded.

"I reported that they escaped. But really, they're in there right now. We need to get the others before the Foundation notices."

Byakuya pondered for a moment. Makoto could tell that he didn't _really_ want to help him, but he was considering it. After all, they were both survivors of the Hopes Peak killing game. Byakuya had to have at least a little respect for the Ultimate Lucky Student.

"You realize that if they catch you, they'll release you. Or possibly even kill you." Makoto cringed at the word _kill_ but nodded. The other sighed.

"I have other things to do so don't involve me in your worthless activities," Byakuya said as he dug inside one of his desk drawers. He pulled out a file and slid it across his desk, towards Makoto. Byakuya went back to what he was doing before Makoto came in, which looked like some kind of report. He looked up at Makoto one more time. "You're still going to have to act as my assistant."

The brown-haired boy disregarded Byakuya's last statement and quickly sat down with the file. What was inside looked to be copies of the Remnant's' individual files, like the ones he'd seen before. Behind all fifteen of them was a document attached to a map detailing theories on where the Despairs were located. On the map, there was a circle in red ink around the subway system, a couple of abandoned buildings, a school, and an airport. Based on the Future Foundation's sightings, the despairs were likely hiding in any of these places. Once Makoto knew where they were, the rest of his plan should go smoothly.


	8. Chapter 8

The first place he would investigate would be the subway system. It seemed like an obvious hiding place for a group called _the Remnants of Despair._ Also, he figured he had a better shot at finding something there than at an abandoned school or airport. Makoto's new position didn't allow him to leave the building without permission, so his first course of action would be finding a way out.

Byakuya didn't really care about whether Makoto showed up to work or not. He didn't seem to like having someone intruding on his workspace. So, it took a few days to map out where the cameras and exits were (he couldn't be seen leaving) as well as wait for Kyoko and Hina to be released from the clinic.

"Huh? Makoto?" Hina seemed surprised when Makoto walked into the dining area, where she and Kyoko were sitting. Kyoko seemed fine, but Hina was on crutches until her wounds healed better. "Did you find out anything?"

Makoto explained to the two girls what had happened the past few days and they came to the consensus that Kyoko should help him investigate the suspected areas while Hina would stay with Byakuya until she was well enough to join them. Fortunately, the Ultimate Lucky student was able to convince the higher-ups to give her a position as Byakuya's co-assistant, to Byakuya's disdain.

Kyoko and Makoto settled on a window to sneak out of with no cameras pointed directly at it. It was on a low floor, so they could climb out without the assistance of a ladder. They were outside of the building for maybe two seconds before they heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, guys!" Makoto turned to find Hiro waving at them from the front of the building. Kyoko began to make rapid hand gestured telling Hiro to _shut up._ There were cameras outside, too.

Hiro noticed Kyoko's gestures and his hand shot up to cover his mouth. Kyoko nudged Makoto's arm to get his attention and pointed to the wall, and began to walk with her back against it like a spy. He began doing the same.

Once they reached the front, they were free to walk around as long as they blended in with the guards. Hiro was waiting for them, and anxiously awaiting Kyoko's signal to talk. Kyoko stood in front of him with her arms folded. She didn't look happy.

"You almost gave us up." She hissed. Hiro didn't seem intimidated by her, but confused. He scratched his head where there used to be a spiky mess of dreadlocks that were now pulled back with a hair tie.

"Why are you guys sneaking out?"

"Why are you out here?" Makoto countered. He and the others hadn't really seen Hiro since they became members of the Foundation.

"They put me out here as one of the guards in training. It's kinda boring, but...I still have my crystal ball!" He smiled and held it up, "As long as I can still communicate with the spirits, I'm good."

Makoto debated on whether or not he should tell Hiro about his plan. Hiro was his friend, after all, but he wasn't the most trustworthy person. He put a hand on Kyoko's shoulder and spun around so they weren't facing Hiro anymore. He whispered to her, "Should we tell him?"

Kyoko nodded. "We should. He may have connections that could be useful to us." Makoto nodded in agreement and turned back around. Hiro didn't even seem to notice them whispering, he was too occupied with wiping a smudge off of his crystal ball with the jacket hanging loosely around his shoulders.

Kyoko made a quick check of her surroundings to make sure there weren't any guards within a close enough proximity to hear them. Once she deemed the area safe, she gave Makoto a subtle thumbs up. Makoto began explaining.

"We're capturing the remnants of despair to put them in the Neo World Program, a program that can replace their memories and rid them of despair. It's hidden in a secret Future Foundation facility. So far, Kyoko, Hina and I have put two remnants in there, the Yakuza and Swordswoman. We had to act like they got away and we were demoted, so we're not supposed to leave the building. Does that make sense?"

Hiro still had the same confused expression, albeit more exaggerated. "H-HUH? You captured two of the REMNANTS OF DESPAIR?" Hiro asked a little more loudly than he should've. Kyoko put a finger to her lips and shushed him.

"Keep your voice down!" She scolded. Hiro didn't quite know how to respond.

"So, uh...do you need my help or something?" He asked. Makoto let Kyoko ask him.

"We need to get away from here without anyone noticing. Could you distract them or something?" She asked the clairvoyant. He perked up, knowing a way he could be useful to them.


	9. Chapter 9

Hiro's foolproof plan was to take Makoto and Kyoko by the arms and run away from the building while shouting about intruders to distract the guards. Surprisingly, it worked. The security department dispersed to look for the non-existent intruders while Hiro led his friends to one of the cars.

You would think the most important organization in the world would have more intelligent security, but considering that a good portion of the world was gone, this was probably the best they could manage. Kyoko went for the front seat of the parked police car, but Hiro jumped into it before she grabbed hold of the door handle.

"Where are we going?" He asked both of them. Kyoko sighed.

"Who said you were coming?"

Makoto joined in. "And do you even know how to drive a car?" Hiro hesitated for a moment.

"Do I know how to drive a car? Yes. Do I have a license? No." He laughed awkwardly.

Kyoko slapped him with her gloved hand and he sighed in disappointment but moved to get out of the driver's seat. Makoto was already on the passenger's side so Hiro went for the backseat.

"Again, why are you coming?" Makoto asked. Hiro shrugged.

"What else am I gonna do? Besides, you'll need all the help you can get if you're going after the Remnants, " He tried to talk himself up, "Plus, my readings are right thirty percent of the time, remember?"

"Fine, as long as you follow orders," Kyoko said as realized she had no choice but to let him come at this point. It actually _would_ be helpful to have a third person in place of Hina. Once she was buckled in and the car was started, she drove towards the subway entrance while Makoto read directions to her off of the map he got from Byakuya. The ride was relatively uneventful, with the exception of Hiro filling Makoto and Kyoko in on what had happened since they got separated. Apparently, he was never given a _real_ job, so he mostly just practiced his fortune telling outside.

Kyoko parked the car a couple meters away from the subway entrance to make sure nobody saw them driving it. It was best to come about this as stealthily as possible. Kyoko got out of the car along with Makoto and Hiro and but a finger to her lips, reminding them to be quiet. The group walked in silence down the staircase and into the dark tunnel where the subway used to be. It was eerily quiet.

"Wh-"

" _Shhh."_ Kyoko shut Hiro up before he was able to say anything. He covered his mouth again to show Kyoko that he wouldn't try to say anything again and the three continued forward. That was until they heard a giggling sound echo down the tracks. Kyoko snapped her head to the right, in the direction of the sound. "This way," She whispered.

Makoto wanted to run. He wanted to know if this was it- if this was the place the remnants were hiding. He continued with light, quiet steps. Without warning, Hiro let out a full-blown scream.

"What is it?" Kyoko asked nervously. It wasn't often Makoto heard her voice show fear like this. She also stopped whispering.

Hiro looked down and heaved a sigh, "Oh, it was just a rat. Phew. Thought someone was gonna kill me there for a second."

Just then, someone grabbed Hiro from behind. The person's arms were wrapped around his neck like they were trying to choke him.

"Gah!" Hiro yelled as the person pulled them back into the darkness of the tunnel. A hundred or so more rats and mice followed them, climbing over Kyoko and Makoto's feet like water flowing in a river. Makoto stood there in shock. Who was that? What were they doing with Hiro?

He felt a gloved hand grab him and yank him down the tunnel in the direction they saw Hiro go. They were eventually consumed by darkness. Makoto heard a _click_ and a light turned on. Kyoko's face was lit up by a bluish light coming from some sort of PDA she had with her.

They kept running until Kyoko saw a darker figure running ahead of them. It looked like the figure was wearing a long scarf, one long enough that she could reach out and grab it. Hopefully, that would stop them. She made the final stretch and just barely grabbed hold of the scarf's frayed end and the sound of a person hitting the ground could be heard.

The two teammates sprinted towards the figure before they could get back up. What they saw was a teenager with grayish skin and a scar running through his one gray eye with black and white hair and a single bright green earring. Coming out of his purple scarf was a stream of rats and other rodents. Most shockingly of all, he was holding Hiro with a knife pressed against his throat.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh, Gundham!" Called out a high-pitched voice. The lights in the tunnel flickered on. It wasn't much light, but more than what they were getting from Kyoko's PDA. The strange guy was still on the ground with his arm around Hiro's neck. He must not have noticed the knife beginning to cut through Hiro's skin. He was busy looking around for the source of the voice.

Emerging from the darker end of the tunnel was another teenager, this time a girl. She had long, choppy brown hair and a nurse's apron over a pale pink shirt. She had strangely wide eyes and a huge grin on her face with a line drool dripping down her chin like she just saw something astonishing. "Did you find more?"

"M-more what?" Makoto asked in a shaky voice. So far, things hadn't been going great. Who knew what this girl was going to do?

"More despair, of course," The girl giggled until it became straight up maniacal laughter, "Flip him, Gundham!"

The boy, presumably Gundham, did as he was told and flipped Hiro over so that he was face-down on the subway tracks. The girl crouched down and pulled something out of her apron pocket. It looked like a syringe, and it was filled with some kind of bright green liquid. Hiro's neck was craned so that he could just barely see what was going on above him.

"W-w-what is that?" He cried out to the girl, who was raising her arm like she was about to stick the needle in his back. Before she could, Kyoko kicked the girl's arm, which sent the syringe flying.

Completely unfazed, the girl immediately pulled another one out of her pocket. She still had the same crazy, drooling look on her face, but instead, this time she turned to lunge at Kyoko. The needle went right through her shoulder, next to her bullet wound. The girl slammed her palm down hard on the plunger and the syringe's contents were emptied out into Kyoko's bloodstream. The substance appeared to take effect right away and Kyoko's eyes fluttered closed. As he watched his partner fall to the ground, Makoto felt a sharp, stabbing feeling right at the base of his neck. Soon enough, he had lost consciousness too.

The next time his eyes were open, he was somewhere completely different. Scraping and buzzing sounds echoed off the walls. His eyes weren't completely focused yet and his body felt numb. Someone was carrying him. The person carrying him was black and white and purple. Was it that one guy? Gundham? He was starting to regain more feeling and his vision was clearing up. He could see that Gundham had one red eye. He was being laid down on some flat, cold surface. Gundham left.

Makoto turned his head slowly to the right. There was another figure. They were bright pink and greenish yellow. Farther up was a white, brown, and light pink figure. The nurse girl maybe? She was standing over something. Two things. Two people. Hiro and Kyoko.

The ground beneath him started moving. Oh right, he was on something. A machine. Periodically, a loud banging noise came from somewhere ahead of him and he felt everything around him vibrate. This feeling was familiar. Had he been here before? In an instant, he snapped back to reality. That moment played back in his head like a movie. When he was supposed to be executed during the killing game. When he almost died.

He screamed and shot up. The conveyer belt he was on jolted forward and he lost balance, toppling off of the machine. He fell through a cloud of sparks coming from the bright pink and yellow-green person, who was wearing a welding mask and operating the machine with an assortment of levers. However, Makoto didn't have enough time to process any of it as he razed the control panel.


	11. Chapter 11

"Mikan, you were supposed to strap him _in!_ " An unfamiliar voice said. Makoto found himself groggily waking up again, but this time, his hands and feet were bound by tape. In front of him, he could see a large machine with a conveyer belt leading up to a large metal block that was suspended mid-crush. His memory might have been a little foggy, but he could have sworn that it was the exact same machine that was supposed to execute him.

Next to him were Kyoko and Hiro, who were also immobilized. He remembered seeing them here earlier. Makoto concluded that after he fell off of the machine, those people taped him up and set him back here. _Those people._ They had to be Remnants. He knew he saw three and hoped there weren't any more hiding around here. Or did he? It was hard to think.

"I-I'm sorry Kazuichi!" Squeaked a meek voice. It sounded like that girl from before. Except, she sounded like a completely different person at the same time. Mikan, was it? And she was calling someone Kazuichi.

"I _almost_ got to try this thing out, too. Took us long enough to get it out of that damn school."

Makoto tracked the source of the voice to two people standing just barely within his range of vision. Mikan, the nurse girl, was talking to some guy he hadn't seen before. He had hot pink hair with a single braid and a greenish yellow jumpsuit. Yep, this was definitely the guy Makoto saw before working the controls. Without his welding mask on, Makoto could see his face. He had thickly-outlined pink eyes that matched his hair and pointed teeth.

He turned to look at Kyoko, who was involuntarily leaning against him. She was awake and looking at Mikan and Kazuichi too.

"Hey, Kyoko-" Makoto whispered when he felt a boot slam into his arm. Makoto whipped his head the other way to find Gundham leaning against the wall.

"Shut your insufferable mouth." Gundham scolded. His voice was deep and intimidating. Makoto shut up.

Makoto figured Gundham was standing over here to monitor them or something. Without Gundham noticing, he discreetly turned to look at Hiro, who was still knocked out. Nowhere he looked really gave him a route of escape. The only thing he could reach was a piece of scrap metal. It wasn't very sharp, but it would cut the tape that was holding Makoto's hands together.

Quietly, Makoto rotated his body so his left hand could grasp the metal. He began sawing at the tape slowly as to make as little sound as possible. He was almost finished when the very bottom part of the tape that was bunched up wouldn't cut. The only thing Makoto could think to do was rip it, but that would make a sound and alert Gundham. Well, he did have a piece of metal...

The Ultimate Lucky Student sucked in a breath and yanked his arms apart, ripping the tape. The sound it made was a lot louder than he anticipated. Gundham's attention was transfixed on Makoto, but before he could do anything, something pierced his leg. And again. And again. On the fourth blow, Makoto hit a vital muscle and Gundham's knee buckled. Gundham wasn't allowed time to regain his strength and Makoto went straight to Mikan. He had this whole thing planned out in his head, and now it was time to see if it worked.

He slid behind Mikan and pulled her apron over her head. It got tangled in her hair, but he had just enough time to grab a handful of syringes. Makoto stabbed one into the back of her neck and injected its contents into her back. She fell backward.

Kazuichi, who was right next to her unconscious body, didn't look like he had time to process what was happening. Makoto prepared his next syringe and tacked Kazuichi, inserting the needle into his shoulder.

All but one syringe clattered to the floor. It was all Makoto would need. Gundham was in the same place, using the wall he was leaning on to help him stand up. There was nothing he could do to apprehend Makoto in his current state. Blood was dripping down his leg and collecting in a puddle on the floor. Makoto was on him in a flash and Gundham found himself face-down on the floor, barely clinging on to consciousness.


	12. Chapter 12

The piece of metal was used to cut through Kyoko's bindings as well as Hiro's, who was now awake. Makoto knew those three people had to be Remnants of Despair, so he was, without a doubt, taking them to the Neo World Program. However, things were going to be a little difficult without any of them knowing where they were.

"We might still be in the subway system." Kyoko broke the silence. Hiro just shrugged.

"What're we gonna do about them, anyway?" He pointed a thumb at the unconscious remnants. Makoto looked around and sighed. There was nothing they could use to transport them. The only thing in sight was the machine.

"Guess we'll each have to carry one."

"I'll take Mikan" Kyoko declared as she was already lifting the nurse up by the arms, "Well, drag her at least." It only seemed fair for her to get the lightest person.

"...I don't really want to take either of them. They look kinda scary." Hiro complained.

"Oh, come on, they're not going to jump out and bite you. I don't know what was in those syringes or how long they last for, but it knocked us out for a while," Makoto said, "Besides, if they _do_ wear off soon, we need to get them hooked up to the program as soon as possible."

Hiro sighed in resignation. He lifted up Kazuichi by his brightly colored sneakers, leaving Makoto to carry Gundham (who was actually really heavy. Or at least, for Makoto). He eventually gave up and dragged him by the arms.

A long silence followed the three Foundation members as they carried them out of the subway tunnel. There was a slight problem getting them up the stairs, and although they managed to haul them up in a timely manner, the Remnants were sure to have a few broken bones and maybe a concussion if they were to wake up. Not that Makoto, Kyoko, or Hiro cared.

Kyoko happened to notice a security camera on the wall, facing the stairwell. Had there always been security cameras here? If there were, she didn't notice. Which was unusual for her.

That didn't stop it from concerning her. Though it was unlikely someone was monitoring them, the notion wasn't impossible. In that case, it would have to be one of the Remnants, right? Because who in their right mind would be watching an abandoned subway system while the world was falling apart?

She warily made her way to the car with Makoto and Hiro. She didn't want to make them nervous by sharing her suspicions. Mikan, Kazuichi, and Gundham were shoved in the backseat and Kyoko and Hiro sat in the front. Hiro was still too scared to sit with the Remnants, so Makoto volunteered to do it instead. This was his plan, after all. Hiro was just tagging along for the ride.

The Ultimate Detective was struggling to get the car started when a bullet cracked the windshield. It was followed by another, and another, until the glass was completely shattered. Kyoko was already expecting something like this to happen, so she ducked under the steering wheel and reached out to pull Hiro down by his arm. Makoto was in less danger, but he followed suit. Bullets continued spraying through the windshield. If Kyoko hadn't reacted so quickly, one of them would've surely been killed.

Positioned on the rooftop of a building nearby was Mahiru Koizumi, former Ultimate Photographer. Her skills in photography made her transition into life as a Remnant easy. She was good with security systems as well as using guns. Pulling the trigger reminded her of pressing the shutter of a camera.

Currently, she had one eye through the gun's scope, much like a camera's viewfinder. It was perfectly aimed at the Future Foundation's repurposed police car. Beside her was a laptop hooked up to the subway tunnel's cameras where she had seen Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Yasuhiro Hagakure take down her former classmates. Mahiru was going to make sure that they didn't leave this place.


	13. Chapter 13

Mahiru shot at the car until she was certain the Foundation members were dead. She did make sure to avoid shooting at the place where she saw them put Mikan, Kazuichi, and Gundham in. Remnants wanted to cause despair for everyone, including themselves, but if they killed each other there would only be less despair to be spread.

By the time she was done, the car had hundreds of bullet holes spread across the roof in the shape of an L. Satisfied with her work, she grabbed her gun and made way for the ladder that ran down the side of the building.

It wasn't like she was happy about it. She had to save her dumbass friends who let a couple of do-gooders attack them. She wasn't able to see how Makoto did it because it was too dark in the subway for security cameras to capture anything, but she could deduce from the way that they were all unconscious that Mikan's medicine had something to do with it. She would blame their incompetence on the fact that they were boys, but Mikan was among them. Not that anyone really cared about Mikan anyways.

Kyoko slipped out of the driver's side door and was hiding under the car. The predictability of this situation was almost laughable to her. It was obvious to her the moment she saw the cameras that someone was watching them. _Cameras._ She remembered her grandfather, Fuhito Kirigiri, tell her when she was younger. _Always look for them. They're clues._

It was perhaps only by a miracle that Hiro wasn't dead. The only part of him the shooter managed to hit was one of his outrageous dreadlocks. She didn't get a chance to see Makoto, but Kyoko somehow knew he was okay. Right now, she had her eyes focused on the skyscraper's roof, waiting for the shooter to emerge. Whoever it was was definitely coming for the Remnants in their car because of the way they were shooting.

Just as expected, she spotted a flash of red peek out from behind the air vent. The figure was coming down the fire escape ladder. Kyoko only had maybe a few minutes at most until they reached the car. That was all the time she would have to come up with a way to apprehend them.

Quickly, she turned to assess her surroundings. Other than the knife on her thigh, and the syringes in Mikan's apron pocket (which were too far to reach), there wasn't much in the way of weapons. The next best thing would be looking to the car to see if any of it's parts would be useful. It was an old car, so there had to be some kind of loose metallic piece.

The exhaust pipe looked sufficiently rusty. A few good pulls could probably loosen it enough for it to come off completely. Lucky for her, Makoto was close enough to reach it.

" _Exhaust pipe,"_ She whisper-yelled, " _Pull it off."_

To emphasize, she made pulling motions with her arms. Makoto, who was looking at her with a confused expression, finally processed what she was saying and nodded. As he worked on his task, Kyoko started mapping out routes. It was likely that Hiro would be the best option for attacking the shooter. Not that he was stealthy in the slightest, but he was positioned closest to the building.

A creaking sound and finally a _snap_ could be heard from the back and Makoto was handing a decently sized pipe to her. She accepted it and used it poke Hiro, who was apparently occupied with some gas dripping from the car's underside. He was probably using it to distract himself from the growing fear they all had.

Once Kyoko got his attention, she leaned in and whispered her directions to him, " _While the shooter is on the ladder, run to the alley on the side of the building. When they are walking towards the car use this pipe to knock them out. Don't let them see you."_ Her face was very serious. Hiro gulped but grabbed the pipe. He didn't have a choice.

Kyoko looked up to check on the enemy's position, which happened to be about midway down the ladder. She hurriedly pushed Hiro out from under the car.


	14. Chapter 14

Mahiru jumped down the last couple of rungs and landed with her gun clacking against the ground. She was under the impression that she had nothing else to worry about, all that was left was to gather the three idiots and take them back to the base. If by any chance someone got in her way, they would meet a quick demise.

Meanwhile, the Ultimate Clairvoyant was positioned behind the building, out of Mahiru's sight. He held the broken exhaust pipe like a baseball bat poised to bash the photographer. It would be a little difficult, but he couldn't let her hear him coming. After all, the only time had ever really committed a violent act was when he broke that glass bottle over Sakura's head back during the killing game. And even that was an act of self-defense. The ordeal almost got him accused of murder, so obviously Hiro was not known to be stealthy.

He squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a breath. He had to do this, or else she would get to Kyoko and Makoto. He took off in a sprint and rounded the corner so he was in line with Mahiru. Unfortunately, she picked up on the sound of his sandals flopping and swiftly spun around. She had her gun raised in an instant. He was too close to get a good shot at him, so Mahiru went for the left side of his chest.

She expected whoever it was to stop once they saw her gun, like they always do. This one, though, seemed to insist on attacking her. He had a metal pipe raised like he was about to hit her with it. His movement threw her shot off and the bullet landed right in the middle of his chest; opposed to the fatal shot she was aiming for.

Despite his injury, Hiro forcefully swung the pipe when he was within a close enough range to reach Mahiru. She wasn't able to process his movements fast enough and the pipe connected with her head. Kyoko and Makoto, who were watching from under the car, saw her fall to the ground and ran towards her.

"Is it safe?" Makoto yelled to Hiro from a couple meters away.

"Yeah...I think so." He looked down at the red-haired girl. Aside from some blood on the side of her face, she looked fine. Not dead, thankfully. Kyoko was still contemplating how Hiro managed to do it, but it was done, so she wasn't going to question it. There was only the matter of getting the four remnants to the Neo World Program before they woke up. And...Hiro's chest _._

"Are you okay?" Kyoko asked him, but not with any more emotion than she usually showed. Hiro's attention moved from Mahiru to the blood seeping through his shirt. He must not have felt it with all of the adrenaline he had earlier, but it was starting to wear off and the wound was starting to hurt. Badly.

"Ow...can we- can we just move her already?" Hiro asked the other two. His breathing was getting a little weird. Makoto took a good look at him and furrowed his brow.

"C'mon, Kyoko. We have to finish this and get him back to the Future Foundation building quickly. Before he gets worse." He said. Kyoko nodded and bent down to pick up Mahiru's arms.

"I can take her. Help Hiro."

Makoto went to wrap one of his arms around Hiro to support him while he walked. He was talking much less than usual, and Makoto found it to be surprisingly uncomfortable. The three made it the rest of the distance to the car and Kyoko threw Mahiru with the other remnants while Makoto seated Hiro in the backseat.

All they had to do was repeat exactly what they had done a few days prior. Kyoko drove them to the secret base and parked in the back. Hiro stayed in the car while the other two picked up one Remnant at a time to take inside. Mahiru and Mikan happened to be first. After they were granted access to the building by Makoto's ID, they went to straight to the room containing the Neo World Program. With no time to waste, they slid Mahiru and Mikan into two vacant pods.

After going back to retrieve Gundham and Kazuichi, and filling up two more pods, Makoto and Kyoko took a moment to catch their breath. After a minute or so, Kyoko wordlessly nodded at Makoto and turned towards the exit.

" _Wait!_ " Makoto whispered. He ran to the two pods they put Peko and Fuyuhiko in, just to check on them and make sure they were still okay. He leaned over one of them and wiped the condensation off the glass. There, still laying in the exact same position they left her in, was the Ultimate Swordswoman. Still breathing. Still alive.


	15. Chapter 15

"You must be proud of yourselves." Byakuya said, sighing with his face pressed into his hand. Makoto, Kyoko, Hiro, and Hina were seated in office chairs across from his desk, three of whom had their hands nervously cupped in their laps. "Did you think they wouldn't figure out you snuck out?" He said exasperatedly. He looked like he was about to say something else, but instead took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt, muttering something about imbeciles.

"Yeah, sure they're in trouble, but they captured _four_ more remnants!" Hina added. Hina's cheerful demeanor was at least helping Hiro cheer up.

"That's right! There's only...ten more!"

"How do you expect the gather those other ten?" Byakuya rebuked, "All of your privileges have been revoked. Hina is the only one of you who isn't on probation." After hearing him say this, Hina stood up with her signature determined pose.

"Then I can help gather the other remnants while they're stuck in here! Please, Byakuya!" The swimmer pleaded. Byakuya sighed loudly.

"After what just happened? What makes you think you won't get caught?" He leaned back in his chair. "And I have a hard time believing you could pull that off alone."

"Come with me," Hina suggested. Byakuya raised his eyebrows.

"Come with you? That's ridiculous."

"Why?"

"I have important work to do, on top of being put in charge of watching these dunces." He glared at the other three sitting in front of him. Hina slowly sat down in defeat. "You did say you would help us, didn't you?" Hina began taking the guilt approach.

Makoto spoke for the first time in the presence of Byakuya. "We can't wait too long or else the Foundation may find out we've been setting up the Neo World Program. We don't even have half of the Remnants captured yet. Please, while we're s-"

"Hmph."

"Wasn't it you who didn't want to be 'bored' during the second class trial, so you altered the crime scene? Though I don't mean to encourage that behavior, how is that any different from right now? Here's your chance to find excitement." Kyoko advertised.

"I am here because I desire a better future, like you all do, but you are clearly incapable of attaining it without me. I suppose if I went on an investigation it would go a lot smoother than yours did."

"Does that mean..." Hina encouraged.

"Fine."

Hina jumped out of her chair in excitement. "Yes! We can do this, guys! We can actually do this!"

"You're going to have to listen to me from now on. _Sit_." Byakuya hissed. Hina obliged. He pulled the map out from a drawer under his desk and laid it out. He had made some adjustments to it, so there was now a blue X drawn over two of the red circles: the convenience store and subway. A school and an airport remained circled.

"Because we know that the remnants must have more than one base, we can assume that the rest of them are divided into these two locations. Only two of us are capable of leaving at the moment, so we'll take the airport, which is farther away and it is easier to travel with fewer people." He paused for a moment and looked at Makoto, Kyoko, and Hiro.

"Until I'm back you'll need to cover for me. You're not supposed to leave this room, so I'm sure you'll have enough time to figure out what you need to."

"What about your work? They'll notice if you don't submit anything." Kyoko brought up.

"I have a communication device. I can send them false information." Byakuya assured and stood up, slipping a phone-like device in his pocket. "Let's go, Hina."


	16. Chapter 16

The Foundation bulked up on security inside the building, but Hina and Byakuya got through the front door with ease. Byakuya told them he had some business to tend to outside.

Byakuya had access to an official car. There was no way he was letting Hina drive.

"C'mon, I have my license!" Hina pleaded.

"Pft, after who knows how many attempts to get it."

"Hey! You don't have to be so mean to everyone _all_ the time."

Byakuya heaved a heavy sigh. Apparently, Hina didn't understand him at all.

"Now isn't the time for childish conversation. I'm the one with the right to drive this car. I don't need you getting us lost." Byakuya said with finality. Hina pouted and collapsed back into the passenger seat with her arms folded. Even she had given up on talking to Byakuya, so the two continued the drive to the airport in silence.

About a few blocks away from the airport, Byakuya parked the car.

"I'm all for exercise, but why are we so far back?" Hina inquired.

"We need to take precaution. We don't know where they are of how many of them there are. We're going to approach quietly, so you'd better keep your overly-enthusiastic trap shut." Byakuya sneered. Hina compiled and dipped her head down. Byakuya promptly popped open the trunk and began digging around in it. Without looking up, he handed Hina a survival knife and a handgun.

"We may encounter a situation where you'll need a long or close range weapon. Keep these on you," As he explained this to her, he slipped a pocket knife into his pocket and picked up a gun identical to hers, "Keep these hidden."

"We're not supposed to kill them, though, so why do we need these?" Hina asked, slipping the knife into the strap on her thigh. Byakuya's tone got slightly louder and more agitated.

"Do you remember how lucky you were to get away from your fight with Pekoyama alive? You need these for self-defense."

Hina nodded her head in understanding. Byakuya was making it impossible to be hopeful right now. She didn't feel like herself.

While her partner finished fishing around in the car's trunk, she found herself thinking about herself and all of the people she'd lost. Maybe that was why she was feeling more depressed lately. The thought that her brother, Yuta, might still be alive was the only thing that kept her going.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Byakuya slamming the trunk shut. He signaled for her to follow him and they soon found themselves approaching the airport.

The South Wing Remnants Commander, Sonia Nevermind, was not mistakenly put in her position. It was because of her undeniable leadership abilities. That's why, the moment she spotted two figures around the corner from the airport's top-window, she did not hesitate to deploy her forces.

"Nidai, Mitarai," She addressed the two who were appointed as her 'bodyguards', "Gather Mioda and Hanamura." She commanded. She'd turned toward a more military-like strategy to guard her base. That's what she'd been taught to do as the Princess of Novoselic. The two large remnants ran in opposite directions on a mission to gather Ibuki and Teruteru, who were standing guard on the northern and southern sides of the building.

Their numbers were getting lower, to the point where it was becoming a problem. Fuyuhiko and Peko were under her direction before they disappeared. The school, the larger base of the two, reported four of their own missing. It would be harder to discard any threats, especially with their swordswoman gone, but not by any means impossible. Ibuki and Hajime came running.

"Commander Nevermind." Ibuki addressed Sonia formally.

"Commander Nevermind," Teruteru repeated, lining up with Ibuki. Ryota and Nekomaru followed suit.

"Mioda, northwest window. Hanamura and Nidai, northwest door. Mitarai stays. We have two from the Foundation heading toward the first floor."

She was met with a simultaneous "yes ma'am" from the four, who knew her well enough to understand exactly what she wanted. Not only did they know her, they looked up to her as their leader.

Sonia had actually been planning this strategy for a while now. Teruteru, though not the agilest, was surprisingly skilled in combat with so many years of practice in the kitchen with cooking utensils. Nekomaru was an obvious choice to back the chef up. Ibuki had the uncanny ability to shoot from rooftops and windows, earning herself the sniper title. Ryota, well, would definitely make a good shield should the enemy reach Sonia.


	17. Chapter 17

As they were approaching the northwest door, Hina and Byakuya's pace had slowed until Byakuya stuck his arm out in front of her, signaling her to stop moving.

"I hear someone." He alerted his partner. He quietly slid his hand into his pocket and it came out holding six or so small blue objects, about the size of bullets. "If the opportunity arises, put these in your gun. They'll explode and knock anyone out in a matter of seconds. Remember, we don't want to kill them."

Hina nodded in understanding and Byakuya transferred three of the orbs into Hina's outstretched hand. She stuck them in her pocket.

Nekomaru and Teruteru were already watching them from afar. The chef was lying on a step of the stationary escalator that stood directly to the left of the door, framing the entrance along with the wall on the right side. He had burned two holes in the side with a blowtorch prior to the intrusion so he could still see what was happening outside.

The sports manager, on the other hand, was hidden underneath a check-in desk towards the back of the room. The desk alone wasn't enough to conceal his bulky figure, so it was covered with a large tarp. Nekomaru could see through the small space underneath the desk and was ready to jump out once the enemies were close enough. If Teruteru did not need him to directly interfere, however, he had a pistol with him.

It was not the greatest plan, but Sonia had other matters to attend to, and it was the best the two remnants could come up with in the short amount of time given. Teruteru watched through the holes in the escalator as the automatic door slid open.

"S-should we-"

"Don't announce yourself."

Teruteru heard two people whisper. The first voice sounded like a girl's and the voice that cut her off by was more sharp and masculine. Definitely the Future Foundation. The two came into Teruteru's range of view.

Teruteru pulled out his kitchen knife and swung himself over the side of the escalator, coming down directly onto Hina with his knife poised to stab. Byakuya pulled her out of the way enough for the knife to go through her shoulder and not her head.

Byakuya whipped out his pistol and shot at the threat, only realizing that he didn't put in the tranquilizer orbs when it shot a real bullet. Teruteru was getting up off the ground when a bullet hit him in the back, sending him back down. Byakuya fumbled around in his pocket for an orb when a sharp pain radiated through his leg. Somebody had shot him in the ankle. He turned to look for the source when a large man jumped out from behind the check-in desk and went barreling towards him. In a moment of panic, Byakuya abandoned his search for the orb and shot at Nekomaru in the center of his chest, careful not to hit anything vital. This was enough to stop Nekomaru for a moment while he examined his wound.

Hina, who was still on the floor, pulled out the knife that was lodged deeply in her left shoulder and looked around desperately for the small man that attacked her. She found him still struggling to get up off the floor across from her. She used her good arm to pull herself towards him and was about to return the favor when one of the orbs exploded onto him, causing him to stop moving completely. Byakuya had found and loaded two orbs into his gun and shot one at Teruteru. Nekomaru was quickly catching up to him, disregarding his chest wound, but Byakuya hit him with the other orb first.

The two assailants were not lying on the ground, unconscious. Byakuya then remembered Hina.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, not with any genuine concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay. I may need some bandages to stop the bleeding."

"We left the medical supplies in the car."

"Oh..."

He could sense some worry in her usually positive tone. As cold and heartless as he was, he felt the need to help her. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a decorative plant, the kind that was made out of a fabric-like material. He used his knife to cut off one of the large leaves to wrap around his bleeding ankle, and he returned to Hina to wrap another leaf around her injury. It was the very definition of makeshift, but it would have to work. Hina giggled at his gesture.

"Thanks, Byakuya."


End file.
